Mandarin Oriental hotel in Brickell Key brought down

Will Smith, Penelope Cruz and the Real Madrid soccer team were guests. The resort’s signature restaurant Azul, which closed in 2019, was once helmed by Miami celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein. And in 2024, it was one of 10 hotels in Miami-Dade County awarded one Michelin key in the prestigious French guide’s debut ratings of accommodations.

Yet, none of that was enough for the current edition of the Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key in South Florida’s frenetic real estate and hospitality markets. On Sunday morning just after 8:30 a.m., the 23-story building and 6-story parking garage came tumbling down. The hotel is gone.

Plumes of pink and blue smoke announced the beginning of the controlled implosion of the Mandarin Oriental, Miami on Brickell Key. Pedro Portal [email protected]

The collapse started slowly. Blue and pink smoke began to billow from the top of the building, followed by explosions and a soft roar that crescendoed to a giant thud as all floors collapsed in under 20 seconds.

The implosion of the Mandarin Oriental, Miami on Brickell Key lasted less than 20 seconds. Pedro Portal [email protected]

Onlookers gawked from the balconies of nearby condo towers. Over 400 people watched from the Brickell Bay Walk. Elders needing help to walk mixed with young, fit men and women in bikers shorts and joggers. Young parents brought their babies in strollers. Others held their kids on their shoulders.

The crowd thinned as clouds of dust headed toward Brickell Avenue before dissipating, revealing a sunny, blue sky.

Crowds watched the implosion of the Mandarin Oriental, Miami on Brickell Keyfrom a baywalk. Pedro Portal [email protected]

Property developer Swire Properties along with BG Group, Controlled Demolition Inc and Moss Construction led the implosion, in collaboration with the City of Miami.

Sunday’s controlled implosion didn’t require residents in Brickell Key or nearby neighborhoods to evacuate the area. Organizers asked people living within an 800-foot exclusion area to stay inside and keep doors and windows locked. Barges trolled the water looking for debris.

A City of Miami Fire Rescue vessel trolls for possible debris after the implosion of the former Mandarin Oriental, Miami on Brickell Key Sunday. Pedro Portal [email protected]

Miami Police closed the Brickell Key Bridge to traffic and pedestrians at 7 a.m.. Eastbound traffic at Brickell Avenue and Eighth Street was blocked. All traffic on Brickell Bay Drive was routed west to Eighth Street.

The bridge, streets and sidewalks should reopen when cleanup ends, expected around 1:30 p.m.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said City Commissioner Ralph Rafael Rosado. “It’s a signal to the world that Miami is the place to be.”

New construction on the site is expected later this year. Plans call for The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami, to open in 2030, a joint project between the Mandarin Group, the hotel operator, and Swire Properties.

An evening view of The Mandarin Oriental, imploded Sunday to make way for luxury condos and hotel rooms. Pedro Portal [email protected]

The complex will be a mix of hotel rooms and private residences with the developers catering to the high-end luxury condo market and the super wealthy. The north tower will include the new Mandarin Oriental hotel. That building will have 121 guest rooms and suites, about a third of the 326 rooms in the hotel that was demolished. The south tower will be all private residences.

The move exemplifies a push by developers and investors in South Florida towards the super high-end. Having fewer hotel rooms will allow them to charge more per room and create a more luxurious vibe.

“The city has evolved enormously in 25 years,” since the Mandarin was first built, Francesco Cefalu, chief development officer for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, said in an interview with the Herald in 2025.

“The market has become much more competitive,” driving the reduction in hotel rooms.

This story was originally published April 12, 2026 at 9:36 AM.

Vinod Sreeharsha

Miami Herald

Vinod Sreeharsha covers tourism trends in South Florida for the Miami Herald.